Hollyoaks star Lauren McQueen has spoken out about the upcoming special episode focusing on the self harm demons of her teenage character Lily Drinkwell. As part of the #DontFilterFeelings campaign on mental health awareness, Hollyoaks is branching out from its standard method of storytelling to shine a light on the destructive issue.

Metro.co.uk recently attended a special screening of the moving episode which follows a day through the eyes of both the teen girls Lily, Peri and Yasmine as well as the guardians Diane, Leela and Misbah.

We are offered different perspectives on the same opening scenes before the storyline gets properly underway and it poignantly highlights the importance of a parent listening to their child while also showing how difficult it can be to spot the signs.

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The main focus of the episode is the letter written by Yasmine about Lily’s self harming which Peri hands in, despite Yasmine’s misgivings. When Sally reads it out, she clocks the reactions of the girls and realises that the detail contained means that at least one of them must be directly linked to the issue.

This leads to the guardians being brought in, with all three initially denying that their child could be the one self harming. There is some conflict and defensiveness to start with but by the end of the episode, the three women are lending each other as much support as they can give.

Meanwhile, in the bedroom, the three girls make a pledge to keep a secret.

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Discussing the importance of the story, Lauren explained to us: ‘Filming the self-harm episode was a challenge and a big responsibility, but I am so glad I had the opportunity to do it. It was great to work with Haiesha and Ruby on something so powerful and emotional, and our director Tracy Rooney and the crew were so supportive.

‘I feel proud that we are able to tackle important issues like self-harm for our younger audience, responsibly. From day one I’ve had a lot of emotional scenes, so I’m used to playing Lily’s vulnerability. I’ve learnt so much from Alex Fletcher, when it comes to emotional scenes she’s given me a lot of confidence. I try to completely zone-out from everything else happening on set, and take myself to that dark place in Lily’s head by relating to her as much as I can.’

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Of course, while the episode is a daunting one to watch and will contain scenes that will be difficult to see, it’s undoubtedly a vitally important story to tell given the prevalence of self harm among young people.

Lauren added: ‘This episode is so important to show our viewers because it focuses on the different perspectives of a mother-daughter relationship and the reality of a struggling teenager.

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‘Our intention is to highlight the consequences that self-harm can have on a person’s life and their family. We want to bring awareness and encourage people to talk about their struggles openly to family members or charities like The Samaritans and Mind.’

Lorna Fraser, Samaritans’ Media Adviser said: ‘Soaps have a vital role to play in raising public awareness of sensitive issues, such as self-harm and suicide. Carefully developed storylines like Lily’s can be very powerful in engaging viewers, who may be suffering in silence, encouraging them to speak out and seek help.

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‘Covering self-harm in drama carries an element of risk, therefore it’s really important that expert guidance is sought. Samaritans has been working in this field for over two decades to encourage programmes to cover these issues responsibly.’

As part of the campaign, Hollyoaks have unveiled an emotional video showing different aspects of Lily’s life and personality which encourages anyone in a similar situation to seek support.

In an interview with Metro.co.uk recently, producer Bryan Kirkwood explained: ‘With the self harm storyline, we rightly have to be so responsible about what we show at 6:30pm. We can’t see the cuts – how do you tell a story about someone cutting themselves when you can’t see a cut? It’s such a fine line to tread but with the help of Samaritan’s and with the help of Mind, I think we have achieved it.I don’t think it’s any less impactful or important for the fact that it is sympathetically shot.

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‘The three girls and the three mums – I am so delighted with everyone who is a part of this. It’s a story about women and girls – while those girls are making some really bad choices, the mums are supporting each other. Something that soaps don’t always remember is that our audience is predominantly female so let’s really celebrate women.’

Hollyoaks airs this episode on Tuesday 17th October at 7pm on E4.

If you have been affected by any issues relating to this story, support and information can be found on Mind’s website or you can contact their confidential helpline on 0300 123 3393.